Water treatment methods
Every system in our database is built from one or more of these technologies. Match the technology to the contaminant first, then pick a system.
| Method | Removes | Installs at | Typical cost | Systems |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sediment filters | Sediment | Either | $15 to $65 per replacement cartridge; usually sold as the first stage of a larger system | 29 |
| Activated carbon | Chlorine, VOCs, PFAS, Lead, Hydrogen sulfide | Either | $180 to $550 installed under a sink; $850 to $1,400 installed for a whole-house carbon and sediment system | 24 |
| Catalytic carbon | Chloramine, Chlorine, Hydrogen sulfide | Either | $1,160 to $1,400 for entry sizes of the whole-house catalytic carbon systems we track, before installation | 15 |
| KDF (copper-zinc media) | Chlorine | Either | usually included in a carbon system's price; a replacement KDF cartridge for one cartridge system we track is $99.99 | 9 |
| Air injection oxidation (AIO) | Iron, Manganese, Hydrogen sulfide | Whole house | $2,231 for the air injection system we track, before installation; HomeGuide puts well water filtration at $800 to $4,000 installed | 5 |
| Chemical injection (chlorine, peroxide and soda ash) | Bacteria, Iron, Manganese, Hydrogen sulfide | Whole house | $500 to $1,500 installed for an injector; $2,255 to $2,983 for the peroxide systems we track, which include a filter tank | 2 |
| Ion exchange water softening | Hardness, Iron | Whole house | $1,200 to $3,800 installed | 7 |
| Salt-free conditioning | Whole house | $1,500 to $4,500 installed | 6 | |
| Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection | Bacteria | Either | $350 to $1,500 installed | 8 |
| Reverse osmosis | PFAS, Lead, Arsenic, Nitrate, Fluoride, Copper, Uranium | Either | $300 to $950 installed under a sink; $200 to $450 for a countertop unit; $4,800 to $8,000 for whole-house | 10 |
| Specialty media | Arsenic, Nitrate, Fluoride, Uranium, PFAS, Iron, Manganese | Either | $1,331 to $2,910 for the whole-house specialty media systems we track, before installation; point-of-use options cost less | 7 |